Voting in second round of French Polynesian assembly elections almost complete

Voting in French Polynesia's second round of the early general election is to end later this afternoon.

At stake today are 54 seats after the first round saw only three seats decided.

Walter Zweifel reports from Papeete.

"Voting has been brisk with turnout figures up in early polling. Three lists vie for the support of 170 000 voters, but none of the parties is expected to secure an absolute majority. The newly formed To Tatou Aia coalition hopes to confirm its first round success, while the Union For Democracy and the Tahoeraa Huiraatira want to better their scores. Final results will be known shortly after polls close. Today's election was also set the stage for the election of an assembly president next week and within another two weeks that of a president. With key politicians returned in the first round, the same dynamics are expected to be at play when power sharing arrangements are to be negotiated for the next five years."